Let me give you some background, though. I've recently encountered the School Days franchise - first the manga, then the anime. The manga wasn't so bad, Makoto was at least semi-normal there. It was the anime that got me up in my seat and screaming the worst profanity I knew at the screen. But, somewhere along the line, I got the urge to write a little something for this fanverse. And it would expand on a character who, in my opinion, was handed the short end of the stick: Kotonoha Katsura.

Now, there's already enough OC insert (or self insert) stories running around here, and some of them are pretty damn good. As in so damn good that I can't compete. This fic is pretty close to that genre, it's nothing new.

But I'll let you guys decide whether you like or not, or if it's even worth reading.

Here goes nothing.

Edit 11/18/11 - Okay, sorry guys, I know it's been more than a month. BUT...I do intend to finish this story, so don't give up on me yet.

Which brings me to the next point. Looking over what I've written, I realized that this story was going in a direction I hadn't intended it to. I'm rewriting and reposting a bunch of stuff here and there, and changing the general feel of the story. For those who are sticking around, I hope these changes don't make you run screaming into the night. That's all for now, enjoy the story.

Having a friend is a blessing people almost always take for granted. Whether it's just being friendly with the family across the street, talking about the latest movies with your college roommate, or having a heart to heart conversation with your best friend, the relationships we have with our friends are unique. No other person in the world will know your friend in the way you do. And of course, friendships can be developed: the old woman that walks her dog every morning near your house may turn out to be your lifelong mentor...the geek in your chemistry class may be the guy you hang out during work...and the girl you see laughing with her friends may turn out to be your wife.

So what happens you meet the one person that can turn your life around? Will you see that person for who they are? Will you try your utmost to keep him or her in your life?

Will you capture the moment? Or will you just let it slip away?

-xXx-

It was the first day of the 2nd semester at Sakakino Academy, and class 1-4 was settling down for their first period. Students laughed and talked about school, their social lives, or their favorite shows and animes. It was just another routine day. But even normal days have their unique moments, and in this case, it was the presence of a new student.

Most of the classroom was already talking about him in hushed tones. People would try to steal a subtle glance at him, while others just openly stared. However, the new student was totally oblivious to the attention directed at him.

Having your Ipod in and listening to a horror audiobook might do that to you.

Then the first period teacher entered, and everyone quieted down. He did the usual welcome in a dry monotone, then looked directly at the new student.

"Well class, you may have noticed that we have someone new joining us. This is Takagashi Milo, will you please stand, Takagashi-san?"

Suddenly noticing the teacher's attention - as well as the entire class staring at him - Takagashi quietly swore, pulled the earbuds from his ears, and stood. All of class 1-4's 38 students strained to get a good look at him.

Short black hair. Clear hazel eyes. Average Asian facial structure and looks, though his features spoke of more than Japanese heritage - Korean, Filipino, European...no one was quite sure. He stood about 5'4, or 163 cm. Other than his eyes, he wasn't particularly attractive. While everyone continued gathering their first impressions of him, Takagashi stared expectantly ahead, and waited for the teacher to finish displaying him like a prized turkey.

"Takagashi-san transferred over from America, and he speaks fluent Japanese. Would you like to say a few words to your classmates?"

Takagashi winced, but kept standing, and stated in somewhat accented Japanese, "Hello everyone, I'm Takagashi Milo. As Nakagawa-sensei has said, I do speak Japanese as well as English, and I look forward to meeting everyone." He didn't have anything more to say, so he sat down, and reluctantly put his Ipod away.

The teacher smiled. "I'm sure you'll get along just fine. Now, class, you should have your books by now, so please turn to page 20..."

16 year old Katsura Kotonoha stared at the new boy in the class as he stood up. He was a transfer student from America? Interesting. Maybe if she got to know him, she could practice her English with him...

But she already knew that would never happen.

Why, you ask?

Because through a series of unfortunate events, Kotonoha happened to be a loner.

First of all, everyone knew that she was from a wealthy family, and since everyone else was middle class, they tended to keep their distance.

Second, Kotonoha was extremely cute, and that was further augmented by a well-endowed body. Maybe once, she could have considered that a good thing, but instead, her looks brought her a lot of attention. The boys in her class were especially attracted to her - Kotonoha would occasionally hear her name come up in their conversations, and she always felt like she was being stared at. But she was also aware that most of them -if not all - liked her only for her body. Many times, Kotonoha had looked up to find a boy staring at her chest. Yet, for all the attention they gave her, the boys in her class never even tried to talk to her, and when they did, it wasn't for long. She didn't know why - Kotonoha was smart, but sometimes, she had no idea what went through boys' minds.

The girls in Kotonoha's class were a very different story. Since first semester, they began distancing themselves from her, and whenever she tried talking to them, they found an excuse to end the conversation. Even the girls that had once been friendly to her eventually broke any ties they had with her. Worst of all, Kotonoha was often mistreated by a group of girls that had taken a dislike to her. She guessed all of this was because of the attention the boys gave her - but since Kotonoha had been brought up to be humble and polite, she had meekly accepted her fate, and withstood her situation the best she could.

So, Kotonoha had no friends, no one to talk to, no one she hung out with. And when she felt brave enough to try to be more outgoing and talk to people (which wasn't often), her attempts were fruitless. Eventually, she just gave up, and accepted that things were going to be the way they were. And so far, second semester was turning out to be the same.

Kotonoha shook herself out of her thoughts. She didn't know what came over her; she wasn't supposed to let her emotions affect her so much. The teacher was already progressing onto another chapter, and self-pity wouldn't help her grades. She took a deep breath, resigned herself to fate, and started reading along with the teacher.

"Oiwa combs her hair and sees before her a pile of hair that has fallen out."

...What!

-xXx-

My name is Milo Takagashi. Yes, I know, Milo - don't ask me how I got that unique name, blame my dad. I'm Japanese, Filipino, and Caucasian...my father is Japanese, and my mom was a half breed to a club dancer in Manila and an US Navy officer. We've lived in Seattle for most our lives, so I usually speak English, but my dad made sure I knew Japanese as a second language. My mom didn't really take the time to teach me Tagalog, so all I know is the word "cat." Anyway, I can say confidently that I'm fluent in English and Japanese. (However, my grandmother says that my Japanese has an American and Filipino accent. Strange.)

Why am I in Japan? I mean, the country was still in the aftermath of that earthquake that happened in March, as well as the current nuclear meltdown situation - some people might have considered living here an unwelcome prospect. Yet, here I am...mostly because of a...situation at home that motivated me to live elsewhere. No, not domestic problems - more like my family's...financial and legal status.

We lost our house. Need I say more?

So now, I'm here in Japan with my 13 year old brother, while my parents are trying to sort through the mess of legal paperwork and bank documents in Manila and Seattle. My brother and I are staying with my grandparents indefinitely, and I may end up finishing high school here. It's all a huge change, and I've left many friends behind...and I really don't know what the future will hold.

High school here is different, to say the least. First off, the uniforms. I used to hate any and all school uniforms, but it looks like I'm stuck with this one. Actually, Sakakino's uniform doesn't look too bad, even though it's close to a full blown suit. But if the weather gets any hotter, wearing this thing will be intolerable...

While I speak the language, it's going to take me a while to get used to the school system and teaching methods here...not to mention making friends, and developing a normal social life. That'll be harder in a school of three or four thousand kids - quite unlike my old high school, which had about five hundred students. And compared with my high school back home, Sakakino is a freaking resort. There's several school buildings up to five stories tall, two track/multipurpose fields, several gyms, a pool, a huge cafeteria chamber...the list goes on. The classrooms aren't bad, either - right now, I'm two seats away from the windows, and I have a very nice view of the surrounding area. Needless to say, Sakakino Academy is very well-funded. Lucky bastards.

My class seems okay, and they're pretty much average. I don't have much to say about the guys, they seem cool enough. The girls are average as well, except for a few attractive ones here and there...like this girl with long hair that sits in my row. She's the class president, she was part of the "welcoming committee" that introduced themselves to me and showed me around a little bit, though she didn't say much. I think she's called Katsura, and she's pretty cute. I'll find out more about her when I have the time.

The cafeteria was okay, I ate lunch there, and that looks like where I'll be eating lunch from now on. Alone.

It's to be expected, I guess - it's only the first day, anyway. Everyone around me has been graciously polite, greeting me whenever they see me, all that stuff. I've introduced myself to a number of people, and a few have approached me and introduced themselves as well...yet none of them have made the effort to hang out with me.

I don't know if it's the new guy thing, or if it's cultural. Looks like I'll have to be the one to initiate contact. But, I wasn't a very social guy at home, and honestly...I don't feel like taking the time to meet anyone yet - maybe after a week.

The period's end interrupted my zoning out. That was the last period of the day, so now I'm headed home via the train. I guess this wasn't bad for a first day - no homework, the school looks decent, and I'm slowly getting used to this place. My social life still needs work, but that can wait. Time for me to see if anyone in Japan plays Bad Company 2...

...Aaand right outside the door is a massive mob of students eager to get home.

Some things in high school never change.

Tell me what you think about the revamped story, if you like it or not...the big changes will come in the later chapters, which I plan to post later this week.

-AoL

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.